Hand-shield.



No. 632,547. Patented sept. 5, |899'. M. F. BARTH.V

HAND SHIELD.

(Application led June 21, 1899.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MELVILLE FLETCHER BARTH, OF lNDlANAPOLlS, INDIANA.

HAND-SHIELD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 632,547, dated September 5, 1899.

Application led June 21, 1899. Serial No. 721,349. (N0 mOdel-l T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MELvILLn FLETCHER BARTH, of Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented a new and Improved Hand-Shield, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple, convenient, and inexpensive novel hand-shield for protection of the back portions of the wearers hands while engaged in outdoor work or amusements during the summer, and particularly while riding a bicycle, the device being adapted to shade the exposed portions of the hands and not interfere with their use.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as hereinafter described, and defined in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specicat-ion, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a perspective View of the outer side of the shield as applied. Fig. 2 represents a human hand on the inner side and the improvement secured thereon. Fig. 3 is an outside view of the improved hand-shield. Fig. 4. is an inside view of the same, and Fig. is an end view seen in direction of the arrow m in Fig. 4.

In the drawings, which illustrate the construction and application of the improvement, A indicates a human hand Whereon the improved shield is removably secured.

The flexible hand-covering (shown detached in Figs. 3 and 4) consists of a pliable backpiece 6, shaped to neatly cover the back and edges of the hand, the upper portion of said back-piece having four separate members 7 formed thereon by furcation of the material, thus providing integral finger-covers, which preferably extend over the lower portions of the lingers only. A thumb-cover 8, which is formed separately of the saine material as the back-piece 6 and linger-covers 7 has such a conformation edgewise, and is secured by a portion of said edge upon one side portion of the back-piece, as to aord the necessary fullness to properly cover the convexity of the thumb when applied thereto. The lingered of fibrous fabric, such as cloth or canvas.

Gore-pieces 10 are secured by their edges along the side edges of the finger-covers 7 upon the inner surface of the same, said gores being designed to afford inwardly-projecting semiconiform webs,which coact with the outer covers 7 to produce half-circular finger-covers, as best shown in Fig. 5. Y band 11 has the ends thereof secured upon the inner sides and outer edges of the lingercovers 7, which protect the front and little fingers of the hand whereon the device is applied, and at proper intervals the keeper-band is secured by stitching or otherwise upon the bights of the inwardlydisposed gores 10, which produces four ring-like bands for the reception of the four fingers, which by the resilience of the band 11 are adapted to yield slightly and conform to the shape of the inserted ingers when the shield is applied for service. An elastic strip 12 of suitable length and width is affixed at its ends upon the inner surfaceofthe thumb-cover 8 along the side edges of the same, thus affording a keeper-band, which coacts with the upper portion of the thumb-cover and serves to retain the latter in place when the hand-shield is applied.- Two tabs 6a are formed or secured upon the lower portion of the back-piece 6, projecting oppositely from the side edges of the same, having suchV length as will permit one tab to overlap the other one and'when so disposed be secured thereto by means of the usual glove-fastener dor by any other available means, such as a button and buttonhole or hook and eye.

The hand-shield may be manufactured of thin leather, silk fabric, canvas, or any other suitable material, and to suit the demands of the trade graded sizes are to be furnished to fit upon the hands of men, youths, or

women. 4

, It will be apparent that the novel handshield may be cheaply produced and sold at 'a low price. Furthermore, as the palms of the hands and the fingers and thumb are free An elastic keeperprojecting from the top of the back-piece, a

thumb-cover secured upon the back-piece, an elastic band secured upon the hand-shield transversely at the iinger-covers and secured to gores that project between the adjacent edges of the finger-covers so as to hold said covers imposed-upon the fingers, an elastic keeper-band on the thumb-cover adapted to retain it in place, and means to detachably secure the lower portion of the hand-shield n pon the wrist of the wearer.

2. A hand-shield'comprisinga flexible back- 25 piece conforming to the shape of the back of the hand and the edges thereof7 finger-covers extending from the top of. the back-piece, a thu nib-cover on the back-piece, tabs extended laterally from the lower portion of the back- 3o piece, means to detachably secure said tabs: together, gores secured on the finger-covers so as to extend inwardly therefrom, an elastic band fixed at its ends upon the side edges of two inger-covers, and intermediately of its 35 ends upon bights of the gore-pieces, and an elastic band secured upon the side edges of the thumb-cover, for retention of said cover in position when the hand-shieldv is in user MELVILLE FLETCHER BARTH.

lVitnesses:

WM. M. AYDELOTTE,

SToUGHToN G. LEONARD. 

